Despite its troubled launch, Cyberpunk 2077 is a meticulously crafted dystopian RPG
one that's chock-full of surprising references, celebrity cameos, and so much more
It also boasts some interesting behind-the-scenes trivia. This is the untold truth of Cyberpunk 2077
Any game as complex and massive as Cyberpunk 2077 is bound to be rife with issues on its way to
market. After announcing it would be released in April 2020, CD Projekt Red realized they'd
need more time, delaying the release until September, then November, before finally launching
to an impatient public on December 10, 2020. Despite these delays, the game was still launched
with a host of issues. Base models of the PS4 and Xbox One have been played with choppy frame rates
weird physics, texture pop-in, and screen tearing. These issues proved so widespread
read in fact that Sony, in cooperation with CD Projekt Red, decided to remove the game from the
PlayStation Store on January 17, offering full refunds to players who have purchased a digital
copy of the game. CDPR plans to retroactively fix the game's issues through a series of patches
but is willing to give refunds to dissatisfied customers. Sadly, not all of Cyberpunk's release
issues can be solved with refunds. Some players have reported experiencing seizures from gameplay
specifically due to flashing lights experienced during braindances, a futuristic form of virtual reality
allowing users to experience other people's digitized memories. Normally, manufacturers place warnings in-game
so photosensitive players know to avoid potentially triggering scenes. But Project Red failed to properly warn gamers in this regard
Some players suffered as a result, including Game Informer Associate Editor Liana Ruppert
who was one of the first people to bring public attention to the issue. If you're watching this and you're an epileptic, be very, very, very careful and be very aware
going in because this is a very dangerous game for epileptics." Thankfully, CDPR added a seizure warning at the start of the game on December 9th, promising
a more permanent solution in the near future. Still, the fact that this whole situation unfolded didn't bode well for Cyberpunk's
early impressions. We're approximately 100% sure that was not what Keanu meant when he said
"...seize the day, then set it on fire." One of the many colorful characters encountered while playing Cyberpunk 2077 is rockstar terrorist
Johnny Silverhand, played by Keanu Reeves, who goes full Keanu for the role, and is absolutely delightful
His excitement over the collaboration is nearly palpable. From his enthusiastic acting delivery to comments made in interviews and reactions behind the
scenes, senior level designer Miles Toast fondly recalled a moment during the pitch process
when Reeves got really into the role and began fervently working through potential character
traits right then and there. So you get to see Johnny as the rock star you hear about his military past and he fighting for his survival The actor was a relatively late addition to the cast which is interesting considering it hard to imagine the plot without Reeves once you become immersed in the game
It wasn't until Microsoft's E3 2019 that his participation in the project was revealed
when he announced Cyberpunk's 2077-cent-targeted release date of April 2020. When asked why CD Projekt Red targeted Reeves over other action stars, Toast described him
as the ideal fit for the role. in large part to his cyberpunk-esque story-studded resume, most notably films like The Matrix
and Johnny Mnemonic. Although it hasn't been mentioned as one of the Cyberpunk 2077 team's motivations for
collaborating with Keanu Reeves, the actor has experience in being part of sci-fi and
cyberpunk-themed video games as well as films. His career in gaming started way back in 1991, when Nintendo launched an NES game based on
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Dubbed Bill & Ted's excellent video game adventure, this RPG action-adventure picks up where the
film left off. Players are able to switch between the two titular dudes while rescuing various historical
figures stranded in incorrect time periods. Since that time, Reeves' video game resume has expanded alongside his acting experience
His likeness has appeared in several video games, including Bram Stoker's Dracula and
John Wick in Fortnite, and he voiced Neo in Enter the Matrix
Although Reeves has experience with motion capture from working on the sets of films
like The Matrix, his role as Johnny Silverhand marks the first time he has performed mo-cap
for a video game, making his collaboration with Cyberpunk 2077 that much more special
Or should we say, Breathtaking! Come on, you knew it was going to pop up somewhere, right
As it turns out, CD Projekt Red had even more reasons to collaborate with Keanu
The actor is also co-founder of Arch Motorcycles, a Los Angeles-based shop specializing in drill-worthy
high-end, custom American motorcycles. Per Reeves, some of the employees at Project Red were fans of his acting as well as his
motorcycles, and once you've seen the glorious choppers over at ARCH, you can't blame them
Considering personal rides play a bigger role in Cyberpunk 2077 as they do in titles like GTA
it's easy to see how CDPR viewed this collaboration as a match made in heaven
Players can even ride an in-game motorcycle inspired by the ARCH Method 143, a 170-horsepower
beast fueled by a massive 2,343cc V-twin engine. CD Projekt Red's sound design team went as far as
traveling to Los Angeles to capture raw sounds of the 143's engine, drivetrain, and other auditory
characteristics. Today we're capturing sounds, getting some actual sounds of a power plant
drivetrain, and characteristics of the motorcycle, which I'm sure they will, you know, have play with and stuff. The in-game version has been modified for the futuristic
streets of Night City, but its pure sourcing lends visceral reality to the virtual riding experience
CD Projekt Red obsession with organic sounds didn stop with the Method 143 Their sound design team recorded more than 40 vehicles for the game a novel feat considering Cyberpunk 2077 isn a racing game
However, driving is a visceral experience, especially when cruising through a bustling
megalopolis like Night City and the gearheads at CDPR wanted time spent driving in-game
to feel as real as possible. They even used rally mechanics to place multiple microphones in the engine bay, exhaust, and
interior of each model so as to fully capture the character of the engine, something car enthusiasts
everywhere will appreciate. Johnny Silverhand's personal ride, a 1977 Porsche 911 930, got extra
special treatment. CDPR recorded as many sounds as possible off a real model placed on a dynamometer
including the sound of the doors closing. By taking the time to use organic sounds
while complementing them with futuristic sound effects, Project Red has layered another level
of realism into Cyberpunk 2077. Crossovers are arguably one of the greatest things about gaming
Unlike other forms of entertainment, players get to see characters from various brands interacting
in ways Marvel and DC movie fans can only dream about. Except for incredibly rare exceptions like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, audiences are limited
to living out their crossover fantasies through video games like Fortnite and Mortal Kombat
This cape's in your future. That's not a uniform I'll ever wear.
One such crossover event was announced by Xbox shortly after Cyberpunk 2077's release with
their latest Forza Horizon 4 update. Via a free DLC made public on December 11th
players have the chance to unlock the legendary 2056 Quadra Turbo VTEC
a.k.a. the iconic gray and yellow sports car, first glimpse in Cyberpunk's 2018 E3 trailer
Whoever proves lucky enough to get their hands on the update will get to experience CD Projekt Red's
obsessively-sourced organic sounds uninhibited on a Forza track, rather than being distracted
by the hustle and bustle of Night City. A game is only as good as a character's facial animation
If it's poorly done, it can be a distraction at best, and pushing extreme edges of the uncanny
valley at worst. Remember the horror show that was Mass Effect Andromeda? Cyberpunk 2077 contains
massive amounts of dialogue. More than 1,000 non-playable characters roam the streets of
Night City, waiting to be engaged in some manner. You ever feel like a city doesn't give you a choice? You either burn alive in it, or you never
existed at all. That's a whole lot of facial animation that could go wrong. And yet, CDPR managed to pull off
realistic-looking expressions and emotions in Cyberpunk's numerous cast of characters. It's impossible to perform facial motion capture for that many individual people
The logistics alone, especially during a pandemic, would have been insurmountable. On top of that, each character has to be animated for every single language the game has been
localized for, which is pretty mind-blowing considering Cyberpunk's language support spans the Americas Europe Asia Africa Middle East Oceania and South Korea Rather than being limited by the traditional route a revolutionary facial performance software called JALI provided a solution by employing
machine-learning-based software for automated facial animation. Facial performance automatically generates for a character based on the audio, dialogue, and speech of the voice actor
Even better, the technology allows animators to retain full control over the automated result
so they can edit it as they wish. In order to support languages in multiple countries
for Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red employed hundreds of voice actors to accomplish the
massive undertaking. Considering CDPR is a Polish company, it only makes sense they would ensure
their latest game has a Polish voice cast representing their home language. Luckily for
them, the Polish voice actors for the masculine version of V and a pertinent NPC, Judy Alvarez
came together quite naturally. After playing a character in The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Blood and Wine
CDPR recast Polish actor Kamil Kula as Male V for Polish language support
Once he landed the gig, Kula's enthusiasm for Cyberpunk 2077 spread to his wife
fellow Polish actress Marta Jumda-Tribi-Atauska, who also became interested in the project
Through her husband, Marta was able to set up an audition for the role of Judy Alvarez
allowing the couple to share the experience of working behind the scenes on such a revolutionary
video game. They say work and relationships don't mix, but this power couple proves the opposite
can be true with the right people and form of work. In addition to Keanu Reeves' leading NPC role, Cyberpunk 2077 features several celebrity cameos
Grimes makes an appearance as cyborg pop star Lizzy Wizzy, while Hideo Kojima appears as a
movie-loving NPC named Oshima. In addition to mainstream celebrities, YouTube and Twitch stars
also make appearances in Cyberpunk. It's a dream come true for any gamer to see themselves depicted
in a promising IP, especially one whose livelihood revolves around the gaming industry
Popular Twitch gamer Ko Carnage depicts alleyway soothsayer Gary the Prophet, and fellow streamer
Jessie Cox plays a character with the same moniker in a humorous side mission called
Burning Desire. Even journalists got in on the cameo action. Alana Pierce, aka Char Alanazad, a noted YouTuber, streamer, and video game writer
plays an NPC in part of the Nomad questline. Hey, what the? Hands off my car
What? No, it's my car. No, why would you leave it rusting in a yard
Even her hair seems to have a cameo all its own as Hairstyle No. 31 in the main character customization menu
That could literally actually be my hair in the character creator. It totally is! Oh my god
All other details on Pierce's character have been kept quiet, so as to minimize spoilers
you'll just have to play Cyberpunk 2077 for yourself to unravel all its mysteries